Made, Not Born
by Alex Sunday
Summary: Branch has always been the plain one, but when she finds that a Clan has very different things to offer than her Tribe, she tries to have paws in both worlds, and her life turns upside down.
1. Allegiances

Tribe of Falling Stones

ALLEGIANCES

**Tribe-Healer**

Teller of the Jagged Stones (Stoneteller)-dark brown tabby molly with amber eyes and a white streak on her chest

**Prey-Hunters**

Sparrow in Flight (Sparrow)-plump ginger tabby molly with yellow eyes

Bark of Angry Dog (Bark)-brown tabby tom with green eyes

Small Mouse Running (Mouse)-large gray tom with a limp and amber eyes

Freshly Fallen Snow (Snow)-small blue-gray molly with amber eyes

Hollow Oak that Holds Robins (Oak)-white molly with blue eyes

Leaf that Drifts to Ground (Leaf)-ginger-and-white tabby tom with amber eyes

**Den-Guards**

Creek that Iced Over (Creek)-gray tabby molly with amber eyes

Finch Flying Gracefully (Finch)-tortoiseshell molly with green eyes

Dewy Morning Grass (Grass)-brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Caw of Loud Bluejay (Caw)-brown tabby tom with green eyes

Smell of Blazing Fire (Smell)-brown tabby molly with amber eyes

Minnow in Gurgling Creek (Minnow)-gray tabby tom with green eyes

**Kit-Mothers**

Water Lapping Sand (Water)-calico molly with yellow eyes, mother of Lightning Flash in Storm (Lightning) and Branch that Falls in Mud (Branch)

**To-Bes**

Rain that Washes Away Earth (Rain)-brown tabby molly with amber eyes and half a tail, training to be a den-guard

**Elders**

Cloud Heavy with Rain (Cloud)-blind brown tabby tom with milky gray eyes

Wilting Flower on Bush (Flower)-ginger tabby tom with yellow-green eyes


	2. Prologue

Water glanced at her two kits, both mollies. The ginger-and-white one was a lot bigger than the calico one, and she was already pushing her sister around.

Thunder crackled outside, making Water jump, but the ginger kitten kept suckling, undeterred. She looked out from under the overhang and caught a flash of lightning through the thunderclouds.

"That's it," she said smugly. "Lightning Flash in Storm. She'll be Lightning."

Stoneteller purred encouragingly. "And the other? Look back out there, now." She licked her muddy paw and used it to brush back her long fur on her face.

Water did so, and saw a limb fall off of the dead tree her littermate Oak had been named for and crash to the ground, sending up a spray of mud that made the molly flinch. "Branch that Falls in Mud."

Stoneteller stood and exited, shaking off her haunches as she did so. Water watched her leave, quietly wondering if this was really how a birth was supposed to go. Branch and Lightning were good, healthy kits, but she worried that Stoneteller was only ever there for the naming and to see if any kit would be good enough for her to train. Perhaps that was the way it always was, but Water didn't necessarily like it.

Lightning stopped suckling and rolled over, giving Branch an opportunity to start feeding. Water stared down at her kits. Lightning would be a good den-guard, but Branch? Branch didn't look like anything in particular. The new mother thought that her smaller kit just looked plain. She'd probably grow out of it by six moons, though. They always did. At least, she and Oak had, and weren't they normal, healthy cats?

Water figured the father was Leaf. He certainly fit the looks of the kits. She wasn't positive, though-she wasn't the type of cat to settle down for one mate, unlike her sister, who was in a stable relationship with Mouse.

The kit-mother licked Lightning until she was clean, as the kit had been rolling in the dirt while she wasn't looking. She really had to pay attention to her kits.

Perhaps Stoneteller would pick Lightning as the next Stoneteller? The current one was getting old-her littermate, Flower, was the oldest elder in the Tribe, even if he still had some of his strength from when he was a prey-hunter. Branch would never do. She was much too weak. Her sister, however, was born a fighter, it was clear.

Water pulled her kits into the warmth of her belly and curled up as tightly as possible to protect them, drifting into a light sleep.


	3. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is pretty shitty, sorry. I apologize for not updating earlier. I'll try to get in a weekly schedule now that NaNoWriMo and most of school aren't port problem anymore. **

Branch stared in awe as her sister batted and swatted at Cloud's tail. Lightning was twisting around and feinting, making moves that Branch didn't think kits (or even to-bes, for that matter) were supposed to know. Her sister was incredible!

"Take that, and that, oof, that too!" Lightning said triumphantly, digging her front claws into the tail and using her back ones to pulverize and shred it, scrabbling at the base. "I gotcha now!"

Cloud grunted, trying to shake the kit off. "Hey, scrappie. That's starting to hurt, so stop." He was really old and smart. Branch wished she wasn't only four moons so she could be as smart as him. His voice sounded quiet but powerful. Wow.

Lightning lashed her tail furiously. "No, and don't call me scrappie or I'll never stop roaching!"

Cloud stood, the weight of the kitten dragging his tail to the ground. He grunted. "I'll call you scrappie if I want. Drop off now."

"No," Lightning said stubbornly. "Not gonna. Say sorry." She dug her claws further into the old tom's tail.

Cloud hissed. "Stop, or I'll tell Rain, and she'll tell Stoneteller, and she'll tell Water. You don't want Water to find out, now, do you?" He sounded serious. Branch was glad she wasn't the one fighting his big tail.

Lightning unhooked her claws, dropping off with a whump. "Hmph. Fine. I'll roach again when you're not looking, though!" With that warning, she stalked off and joined her sister.

Branch licked her paw and nudged Lightning's fluffy ginger shoulder with her own. "You did good!" She wished her pride in her sister and the awe she felt could be shared better through her words.

"I know!" Lightning cried, tail lashing. "Didja see how much I hurt him? I'm real good! I'm gonna be a good den-guard and kill deer and stuff!"

"Den-guards don't kill deer," Cloud called irritably. "That'll be your sister's job. Deer don't roach or hurt cats. They're good food, though."

"Whatever," Lightning dismissed. "No stinkin' human's gonna mess with this Tribe. Not while I'm here!"

Branch nodded furiously. She believed it, all right! Lightning was really good! She would probably be okay at prey-hunting, but she'd never reach her sister's level of casual excellence.

Then it sunk in. "Whaddya mean, you hurt him? Isn't that bad? You don't wanna hurt cats..."

Lightning rolled her eyes and patiently explained, her tail twitching. "No. If I can hurt a big cat when I'm a kit, who knows what I can do when I'm big? I'll be the best of the best if I keep it up!"

It made sense, in a twisted sort of way. Branch got it. She didn't like it, but Lightning was smarter, anyways, so she understood.

Lightning shook out her fluffy coat, squaring up for another go at Cloud. Or someone. Branch wasn't sure who she was going to fight or roach now, but she didn't want to be in the middle of it when it happened.

The ginger-and-white kit scrunched down and jumped, muscles churning. Her sister watched as she landed on a large oak leaf with a thump. Lightning bit and scrabbled at the leaf, tiny scraps of it catching in her fur and making her look really sloppy.

Eventually, Branch got bored and ambled off. She didn't know where she was going; she just hoped there was something fun nearby.

Soon, the kit was caught up in a pattern of staring at the swirling dirt and leaves as she walked around. They blurred and bubbled up in the corners of her vision. Everything wobbled, distorted, and Branch purred as she stumbled about.

She was having so much fun that she didn't realize there was someone in front of her until she slammed head-on into their chest. Backing up, the kit shook off her head and looked upwards.

A stern brown face with black stripes zigzagging around the top of the cat's forehead stared back at her. Stoneteller's eyes were dull, but she still managed to convey her irritation with Branch with a curled lip and a twitch of her graying, patchy muzzle.

"Sorry," Branch squeaked. "I'll be more careful next time!" She wanted to fold in on herself.

"It's okay," Stoneteller said, flicking her ears. "Where's Lightning? I need to speak with her."

Branch jerked her head behind her. "That way. Why d'ya wanna talk to her?"

Stoneteller fixed her eyes on Branch. "It doesn't concern you." She stretched out her forepaws on the soft dirt and padded off, tail swishing behind her.

Branch continued her leaf-watching, but it wasn't as fun anymore now that she knew Lightning had something going on. Tail flicking, she stomped back towards where she knew she would find her sister to try and figure out what was happening with Stoneteller.


	4. Chapter 2

**A/N: This is really just a long explanation of one of the Tribe's customs. By the way, this story is set in a very specific place in Texas. Enjoy your read. **

Branch felt a soft paw nudge her side and a voice murmur, "Wake up."

She curled up and snuggled further into her mother's side. It was too early. She didn't wanna get up yet.

The paw nudged her side again, rougher this time, and Branch's gut clenched. She rolled away drowsily and staggered to her feet. Her paws wobbled and felt like feathers under her, but she managed to stay afoot.

"It's late," Lightning snapped at her. "You missed piles of stuff! And Snow's really sick. Stoneteller says it's fever and that since it's almost freeze there aren't any herbs and that she's in real trouble.

Branch was wide awake now. Snow? No way! Sure, she was small, but the molly was tough. She'd gone through a lot, and she was old enough to have fought in the Big Battle. She couldn't get sick!

The calico kit scurried out of the nursery and skidded towards Stoneteller's Jagged Stones Burrow by the opening of the creek that ran through the Tribe's home. She knew there were humans around the other end, so she climbed carefully down the pebbly bank and clawed her way into the crusty Burrow.

It stank of putrid waste and fetidness. Branch coughed and sputtered once the smell hit her tiny kitten nostrils; she hated the place. Of course, it had the Jagged Stones at the other end, so it was useful, but that didn't mean she had to like it.

Stoneteller was hunched over Snow's prone body by the Jagged Stones. Branch scurried over to watch the ceremony, her eyes wide with anticipation. She'd never seen this before.

Stoneteller placed her paw on Snow's rapidly rising and falling chest. "Stoneteller and Stoneteller before Stoneteller. Stonetellers all of the Tribe of Endless Hunting, I call upon you. What brings me? the safety of Snow. What asks me? one question. What be it? will Snow heal alone. What be the options? yes and no. When requires an answer? immediately. I request for a speedy delivery and safe hunting for all."

Branch was kind of confused. The way Stoneteller said everything was weird. She kept her eyes on the wizened molly, though.

Stoneteller changed her gaze to the cluster of four stones that stuck up from the ground haphazardly. She licked the first, then the second.

That was really gross! Branch's lip curled. How did Stoneteller do it? If it smelled this gross, the stones had to taste even worse!

Stoneteller swung back around to face the shivering blue-gray molly. "The Tribe has spoken. Snow shall not heal alone. She requires assistance. I shall bring her as soon as possible."

Branch had no clue what was going on. It was weird. Why did Stoneteller say assistance? Who would help? Lightning? She was gonna be the next Stoneteller, but she was still only a kit.

Stoneteller gripped the scruff of the younger molly in her mouth and lifted her up. She slumped against the brown tabby's chest, not moving a muscle. Stoneteller twisted around, neck muscles straining, and padded towards where Branch was watching.

The kit squeezed into the wall of the Burrow as Stoneteller passed, gagging and retching as the crusted waste on the walls and floor crunched into her fur. She was about to vomit, and once the Healer was gone, she tumbled out of the Burrow, coughing.

Of course, she hadn't thought that move through very well. The Burrow opened up onto the widest, deepest part of the creek-the very part Branch was now rolling towards. She tried to dig her tiny claws into the end of the Burrow, but she wasn't quick enough. She slammed into the icy water.

"Help!" she spluttered, flapping her paws about. That didn't do anything. Her nose sunk under the water, and she snapped her neck back, managing to twist her nose out and inhale sharply. "Stoneteller!"

Her vision was blurry from the water, so she couldn't see the Healer, but she kept up her efforts, screeching and yowling. Just as she was relaxing her aching muscles and allowing her frail body to slip underwater, she felt a pressure on her neck. Her head broke the surface, and as water dripped and streamed off of her muzzle, she gasped and coughed up water. Shaking her head, Branch relaxed. Her heart pounded.

She was set down. Branch turned to see her savior. Unsurprisingly, it was Stoneteller.

"Thank you," Branch squeaked.

Stoneteller dipped her head. "Help me take Snow to a dwelling."

Branch was as confused as ever. She was tired! What was a dwelling? Why her? But she wasn't going to argue with Stoneteller, so she slipped under the prone Snow's hind legs to hold them up as Stoneteller began the slow traipse up the bank and onto the human path.

They walked on the pale dirt path and up a cluster of rocks that stepped up to a smooth stone path. Branch gasped. It was all so big! A huge gray path crossed where they were, and big dens lined either side of it.

They walked to the right down the path and turned right down a path with stones embedded in it. After a couple more turns, Stoneteller dropped Snow in front of a tall wooden thing with a gold circle on it. Branch was really confused now. Stoneteller yowled and caterwauled, bringing forth the sound of pawsteps, and she ducked into the bushes. Branch followed.

The wooden thing moved backwards, and a human stepped out. It was tall and had a dark brown face and paws, but its head and the rest of its body were black, red, white, and light purple. It made a concerned sound and picked up Snow, carrying her inside and stroking her with one paw. The wooden thing slammed shut behind it.

"What?" Branch asked.

"Sometimes," Stoneteller replied, "a cat can't be saved by me. I asked the Tribe of Endless Hunting. They said that's happening with Snow. So I have to give her over to someone with the power to save her. Humans can do that most of the time. This human is pretty good. He takes in Tribe members and helps them get better, then gives them back to us. It's a blessing."

Oh. That made sense. Branch shifted on her paws. "Can I go home now?"

Stoneteller flicked her paw. "Go on, shoo."

Branch complied, scurrying off down the way they had come and down the stone steps. She carefully stepped across the stream on the little rock island and practically flew into the nursery.


	5. Chapter 3

**AN: Man, oh man, guys, gals, and nonbinary individuals. I am really sorry for takin 3 weeks to update. I took a week off for Christmas, and then I was struck by an awful sickness for another week, so technically, it's been one week. So here we go. Another chapter of Made, Not Born. Wow, Branch is boring to write. I can't wait to start the good stuff. **

Branch woke up with a pounding headache and a vague feeling of unease. Today was going to be the biggest day of her life so far.

"Lightning?" she whispered hesitantly. Her sister seemed to be gone already. Lightning was to start her Stoneteller training today-it was much bigger than Branch's simple to-be-hood, but Branch didn't feel any envy or anything, which was strange when she thought about it. But hey, she always saw it like this. The Tribe of Endless Hunting's job was to make everyone's lives equal, so if Branch had it boring now, she was just getting prepped for something wonderful later on.

As Lightning had already left, Branch scurried out of the nursery and peered around. She could see Stoneteller sitting on the edge of the Burrow, gazing down at something that Branch couldn't see with her line of vision.

The kit fled out of the dirt tendril-encrusted entrance and squinted at the bright pink sun hanging low over the trees. Robins squawked, making Branch jump.

She skidded down the hill, sending tiny avalanches of rock down as she did so and landing by where Stoneteller was looking. Lightning, Water, and a bunch of other Tribe cats Branch didn't care to recognize were set up in a vague, uncomfortable semicircle around the Healer. She slipped in to join them.

"Branch has joined us," Stoneteller croaked. "The ceremony can begin."

Branch shifted antsily, prompting a snap of Bark's jaws.

"I called the Tribe of Falling Stones here today to announce that Lightning Flash in Storm and Branch that Falls from Tree are moving up the hierarchy of Tribe cats. I am to take Lightning on and treat her as a daughter. Branch is to be a to-be, trained by all the prey-hunters in the Tribe. Thank you. Everyone but Lightning may go. Start training Branch."

Branch felt a little bit mixed about it all, but she climbed unstably up the rocky hill and onto the human path with Bark, who stared at her.

"Time to get going," Bark said abruptly, spinning and stalking into the expanse of the path. "Follow me."

Branch followed her new trainer and stumbled over a root as she traveled with him. They passed tree after tree after tree and didn't stop until they reached a place where the creek was wide and shallow and a couple rocks jutted out from it.

"This is where I will train you," Bark said, scratching the flat, square rock he was standing on. "Others will move around, but I always preferred this place. It's got plenty of untapped potential. You just have to listen to the rocks."

Branch honestly thought that sounded silly. Listen to the rocks? Huh? She'd take anything over this.

"Well, we're going to start with a simple move. Crouch down. No, tail flat. Shoulders...eh, lower. Lower. Not that low! Stretch more. Feel the energy flow from your tail to your chest. Let it loop. Let it flow and flow and flow...then you'll release it and jump as high as you can and snag a bird."

Branch was crouched down, all right, but she didn't feel the energy. She didn't feel what the tom was talking about. What was it? Loop?

"Loop...loop...now!"

On cue, Branch dutifully leapt up into the air. Her paws flew in all different directions, making her land painfully in a twisted position.

Bark's brown head drooped. "No, no. The earth flows through you. It's a cycle. You're connected. Feel the connection. Embrace it. As a cat, you are divinely connected with the earth through the Tribe of Endless Hunting, which lives in the dirt and soil and water. Feel them."

This was starting to get really creepy. Bark's eyes were shut, and he was chanting under his breath. Branch backed up and turned, dashing back down the human path and away from the disturbing trainer.

Luckily, the path was a distinctive thin strip of gravel, or Branch definitely would have gotten lost. She had to cross the creek several times and felt incredibly lucky there were rocks to jump on so she wouldn't get swept away.

It was about midday by the time she got back. The sun beat down on the Tribe, making Rain's brown coat shimmer with a slight coating of water. It was really pretty.

"Branch, nice," Stoneteller said absently, looking at Lightning and nudging her white paw to the left.

"Where's Bark?" Lightning asked. "He left with you."

"He's way over down the path," Branch answered. "He was getting weird."

Lightning's tail flicked. "Finch, Grass, go get Bark. Be back quickly. Use those toned legs you have."

Finch, who was licking her mate's bloodied ear, stopped and nodded. "Of course. Grass, come on."

Grass stood, his paws wavering, and nodded, though he shot Lightning a pained glance. Branch supposed he was upset he had to go when he had a cut. The two cats stood by each other, and they were off like birds flying away.

Lightning dipped her head at Branch. "You can go with them. Do you wanna?"

Branch yawned, stretching the edges of her lips and reminding her that they were cracked. "Oww. No. I'm good."

Lightning sneezed and continued whatever she was doing. Branch wished she was as important and responsible as Lightning, but Water had always told her that her sister would always be better at some things and she would always be better at others. You didn't try to change the prey you had been dealt. You got the best out of the prey you had and worked with it to improve your life.

Branch yawned again and crawled through tendrils of root into the nursery before remembering. She was a to-be now. She slept with to-bes. She stumbled into the icy water, gasped, and plunged under, clawing into the little room underground where the to-bes slept. Stoneteller always said swimming to a nest built strength. Branch settled down in a place she thought was empty (it was old and dusty) and drifted into a light nap.


End file.
